Take a Bow
by The Lone Wanderer
Summary: Cloud Strife is a genius assassin. Zack Fair is a billionaire genius playboy. Sephiroth is a powerful scientist and C.E.O. of Crescent Corp. and his searching for the secret to immortality. The secret a certain Zack has. And only Cloud can get it for him.
1. Introduction

**Uh - oh, starting another multi-chap probably isn't a good idea, but while surfing D.A. today I saw a picture of Zack, Cloud, and Sephiroth and it put a plot bunny in my head I wasn't able to get rid of, so this is because of that.**

**I hope you don't hate me for making this rather than updating any of my other stories, but this is also much different than any other one.**

**This is AU, and will become very dark. I am probably going to change it to an "M" rating, so we'll see how that goes.**

**Please leave me feedback on what you like or don't like on the story, I'd greatly appreciate it!**

**I don't own FFVII  
**

**--**

Silver hair created a curtain around Sephiroth's face as his fist crashed into the stainless steel table, sending his top men jumping up into the air.

Sephiroth was considered the best looking, and the smartest scientist in the world, and the owner of Crescent Science, the leader in technological research, which recently branched into the world of military weapons, which was a field dominated by Fair Weapons, which had recently branched into the world of technological research. No one knew why either company was invading the other's turf, only that it created a stock market race as people bought as much stock as they could for one company, only to change their minds the next day.

"How?" he asked, "does a worthless playboy find the secret to immortality before us? The top scientific minds in the world can't find the greatest scientific discovery in the world, yet the living replica of Tony Stark can?" He turned to his Vice-President, Professor Hojo, "How?"

Hojo pushed his glasses upwards slightly with his pointer finger as he spoke, his voice high-pitched, raspy, and very quick. "Well, you see sir, he has much more funding than we do, and the access to all sorts of weapons clearly creates the desire for immortality, so of course, his drive to find the answer was much greater than ours." Greasy strands of hair slipped out of his ponytail because of his rapid bobbing of his head as he spoke.

"We promised the world immortality before 2030," Sephiroth growled. "If he comes out with the secret before us, this company will be ruined."

"We are trying our best, sir," Hojo squeaked out.

"Try harder!" Sephiroth snarled as he bent down to Hojo's level, leaning in so only a few centimeters separated their mouths. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the strong smell of garlic.

With that, Sephiroth strode out of the conference room, slamming the door shut and making his Heads of Departments jump again. He pulled out his cellphone and quickly dialed a number. "I need you to take me somewhere," he said quickly and authoritatively.

"Yes sir," his chauffeur said, and Sephiroth hung up.

There was one man he knew who would get the secret for Sephiroth. He didn't trust the man, he didn't even like the man, but he could put on an act.

If anyone could get the secret, and maybe kill one of his top competitors in the meantime, it would be the best assassin in the world.

Gaia only knew how Sephiroth knew where he lived.

--

"It's done," Cloud said wearily before flipping his cellphone shut and using his foot to push open his apartment doorway.

Cloud Strife was the world's best assassin. Well, the best because the law never caught him, and he always got the job done. Called a cold blooded killer by some, the Grim Reaper by others, Cloud didn't care. Some of his friends called him sadistic, which was ironic because they didn't know the true nature of his work. He would lie to them, and tell them he was a business man. It was why he could afford the fancy furniture in his apartment. No one ever commented if a blood stain was seen in the sink. It was thought to be tomato juice, Cloud Strife was a known vegetarian and health nut among his friends.

It was always the same when he got back from a job. He would wash the blood off in the shower, he would eat some frozen meal from his freezer, and then he would go the nearest bar and drink tequila until he could barely walk. Then he'd come back home, go to sleep, wake up, and the whole routine would start again.

Cloud shook his head. It wasn't always the same. The jobs were always different. There was always a different, more efficient, more creative, way to kill someone. Cloud smirked at himself when the idea popped into his head that he should write a book. '_And instantly get the law on my ass,' _he thought.

He tossed his jacket and scarf onto the nearest recliner, and cursed to himself when a silver revolver toppled out and onto his hardwood floor, creating a loud clang.

Cloud ignored it though, and took a cursory glance around his lavish apartment to make sure nothing was out of place. The knives in the kitchen were still hung perfectly; not a single blade on a smudge on it. The chairs and couch in the living room were still covered with neatly put pillows, each one a different shade of blue. The TV, Cloud noticed as he grabbed the remote, turned onto channel thirty-one, one channel different than the one he had left it on.

That was enough to cause suspicion. Acting as nonchalantly as he could, he slowly pulled a desert eagle out of the waistband of his dress pants. Pulling the hammer back slowly enough so that it wouldn't make any noise, he raised it in front of him, ready to fire at anything that moved.

He stepped through the kitchen doorway and into his hallway, keeping his steps silent as he peered into each room that had an open door. A glimmer of silver caught his eye as he passed his office. He frozen, and aimed his pistol at the source; hair, it looked like.

"Cloud Strife," the owner of the hair said. It was a deep voice, and it entranced Cloud, instantly causing him to lower his gun. "Come here, will you."

Cloud stepped fully into his office. It was exactly the way it was when he left for his job, except now there was a silver-haired man sitting in his chair, and a manila folder was laying open on the glass desk. A picture of a raven-haired man grinning that looked strikingly familiar was open, and red lettering was scrawled next to his face.

The man spun around, and his hair went with the momentum of the chair, and Cloud got a good look at his face. Pale skin stretched around perfect bone structure, with piercing green eyes to top it off. He smirked at Cloud.

"Don't ask how I got in here," he said in a low chuckle.

Cloud rose his pistol again, ready to send a bullet right between the man's eyes. "What the hell do you want?"

"Scuttlebutt tells me you're the best assassin in the world."

"Scuttlebutt should've told you not to break into my house."

The man chuckled again. "Cloud Strife, shooting me would be most unwise. I just came into your apartment because I have a small proposition for you."

He pushed the manila folder across the desk, and it slid before stopping abruptly at the edge. Cloud peered down at the picture again, and the lettering.

"I want this man dead, and I want his body." The man then pulled out a checkbook, and rose an eyebrow at Cloud. "Name your price."

--

"Blow," Zack whispered in the girl's ear as he held his hand up to his mouth, and the girl blew. "Blow," he said again to the girl on the right, and she did. "And here, we, go!" Zack whooped as he let the dice loose.

The two dice hit the felt table simultaneously and bounced, rolling over and over, bouncing against the opposite end of the table, on the wooden side. The continued to roll, and soon everyone was quiet, watching the dice. Zack had put a lot of money on this roll, after all. Well, a lot of money for anyone besides Zack Fair.

Zack Fair was the youngest billionaire in the world. Considered to be the greatest tactician of all time, Zack Fair joined the military at the age of sixteen and quickly rose the ranks, becoming a General at age eighteen. He won the war with Wutai within a year, beating the predictions by three years. He went into weapons manufacturing when he was twenty-one, and achieved billionaire status at twenty-two. Now twenty-four, he spent his nights gambling and picking up a new lady to take home. He was content with his lifestyle, and no one was going to change it for him.

He cheered and pumped his fists into the air when the dice both landed on "four", winning him thirty million dollars, mere monopoly money in Zack's eyes. Still, he loved winning, even if the winning money would go to a charity the next day.

"Excuse me, excuse me!" Zack heard a voice shout over the crowd of people surrounding his table, and he couldn't help but raise his head and give the source of the voice a look. It was a cute looking female, dressed in a business suit, clearly a reporter.

"Excuse me for a moment," Zack said as he winked at the two girls on either side of him before quickly pushing his way through the crowd to get to the reporter.

The girl's hair was frazzled, but the still managed to stay in a single braid that hung down her back. She had perfectly angled features, and dazzling emerald eyes. Zack gave her a 9.5 on a scale of 10. The other half a point would consider on how she was in bed.

"Calling for me?" He asked, flashing a grin at the reporter.

"Yes, actually. You are Zack Fair, right?" she asked. Her words came out in between deep breaths, and Zack couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when he wondered how long she must have been shouting.

"The one and only. Can I help ya?"

"Yes, I'm Aerith Gainsborough from Shinra Magazine, can I ask you a few questions?" Zack grinned when he heard she was from the largest magazine publisher in the world. This would be fun.

"Shoot," he said, rubbing his hands together.

"You are called by some the Da Vinci of our time, what do you say to that?" she asked, her pencil stuck between two rows of pearly white teeth, and her pad at the ready.

"That's ridiculous, I don't paint."

"How about the Merchant of Death?"

Zack laughed. "Now that's not bad."

Aerith rolled her eyes. "Can I get a serious answer out of you?"

"Look. You're talking to a guy who's teenage years were spent winning wars. I'm finally living out my teen years now, but if you want a serious answer here's one. The only way to keep peace is by having a bigger stick than the other guy."

"Says the guy selling the sticks," Aerith said sarcastically, but she was scribbling furiously on her pad of paper. Zack shook his head. Of course, all she wanted was some stupid keeping the peace saying. "Now, knowing that you're responsible for so many deaths, how many hours of sleep do you lose thinking about that?"

"None," Zack winked, "but I'm prepared to lose a few with you."

--

**That last conversation was stolen from Iron Man, but it fits Zack's persona so well in this story (for the most part he is Tony Stark in the FFVII universe, but there are some glaring differences too).**

**This story will switch from the P.O.V.'s of Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth, but will mainly follow Zack and Cloud.**

**I won't share any pairings yet, but I will say that Zack isn't going to fall madly in love with Aerith after their night of fun :D**

**Again, any feedback is appreciated.**

**Thanks!**

**-The Lone Wanderer  
**


	2. Shadows

**Hello again!**

**Thank you everyone who reviewed, I have replied to all of them I think :D**

**Warning: There is some blood in this one, and Cloud is pretty violent (not super graphic though). So yea.**

**I don't own FFVII**

**P.S. I have a friend who is now helping me with the Cloud parts, so that's why you'll see a lot more of Cloud. Hopefully you guys don't mind ;)  
**

--

"Cid, I need to see what you have available. Now," Cloud spoke into his phone quietly. He was crouching in a dark and wet alleyway, a knife strapped to his forearm underneath his leather jacket. He was out on another job. After Sephiroth had asked him to take out Fair, Cloud had made sure the man had left his apartment, tightened security, and left to take care of another job. The man he was after only went by the name "Katana", and he was supposedly a member of the Turks, a secret division under Crescent Corp.

Cloud didn't care that he was killing an employee that worked at the company his newest client was the C.E.O. of. He was hired to do a job, and he did it. Katana would be dead, and Sephiroth would have his suspicions, but he would never be able to prove that it was Cloud himself who did the killing.

"Fenrir," Cid's southern drawl echoed through Cloud's phone. 'Fenrir' was the codename Cloud was given by Cid, a weapons dealer who dealt with the black market on a daily basis. He didn't care to know his buyers real names, because if he was ever caught, he wouldn't want to put the whole killing business out of business. "Do you want the regular stock, or the Shadow stock."

"Shadow," Cloud replied instantly. It was always Shadow stock, but Cid asked each time anyway.

There was a slight difference among assassins, but it was huge to those in the business. An assassin was someone who made attempts on someone's life. A Shadow was someone who never made attempts, but always took someone's life. There were only a few Shadow's in the world, and Cloud could name them off. He was the best though. If he wasn't, he'd be dead. Shadow's tried to kill each other daily, if they thought they could, in order to bring more business to themselves, and that's why the population was so thin.

In short, assassins killed people for the money. Shadows killed people because they enjoyed killing.

"How late do I have to stay to wait for your sorry ass?" Cid asked.

"It depends on when this deader gets out of this damn bar," Cloud gritted. Despite his excellent physical shape, Cloud's legs were getting cramped from squatting for three hours straight. He wouldn't stand up though. That would give him away to the homeless men standing at the edge of the alleyway, warming their hands with a burning trash can.

"Okay Fenrir, well, I'll be here."

"Thanks." Cloud flipped his phone shut, then slipped it in his pocket. He double checked his weapons. There was the knife he checked only moments earlier strapped to his forearm, a gun on his hip, another knife on his ankle, and a sack of throwing stars hanging from a bag on his belt.

A bell ringed, signaling the door of the bar opening, and Cloud peeked over. It was Katana, along with some other Turk friends. The sweeping black hair, the glasses, and the tell tale scar that ran from his left eye to his chin gave it away. There were two other Turks with him, Nunchaku, and Revolver. Cloud nodded to himself, satisfied. Nunchaku and Revolver were in the lower tiers of the Turks, and Cloud was confident he could take them. He would have to kill Katana in one attack though, any more, and he knew he'd be overwhelmed. Cloud was good, but taking on three of Crescent Corps secret service was suicide, even for a Shadow.

"Nun, did you like how many men hit on you, thinking you were a girl?" Revolver asked, smirking. Cloud rolled his eyes. He loved how the Turks always spoke with perfect grammar, even after a night on the town.

'_A night on the town,'_ Cloud thought, _'That would mean . . .' _Yes. The one named Nunchaku had a hand on Revolver's shoulder. He was tipsy. He would be the smallest threat, so Cloud would save him for last.

One last triple check on his weapons; a Shadow could never be too sure. There would be only one chance at this.

It was time to act.

Cloud abruptly stood up and jumped up onto the wall, planting his feet so he would flip over and land behind the three Turks.

As soon as his feet were planted firmly on the ground Cloud slipped the dagger out of his sleeve and plunged it into the back of Katana's neck. The deader was dead. He was done with the job, and the other two Turks hadn't seen him yet.

Cloud made a split second decision and leapt again towards a wall, taking a few steps up and grabbing onto a fire escape. He pulled himself up silently, and when he was safely hidden in the shadows again, he looked down.

Blood was pooled around Katana's limp form. And Nunchaku was kneeling over him, his phone out. Revolver was standing, his gun out, smoke leaking out from the barrel. A cursory glance from where the gun was pointed revealed two dead homeless men laying the ground, a bullet shot in each chest.

Cloud smirked. The Turks were dumber than he thought.

--

"_That_ definitely warrants a few more questions," Zack grinned as he sat up in his bed, wrapping his arm around his head.

He heard Aerith breathing heavily beside him. He stole a glance at her and saw her hair that was so neat in a braid now hanging loosely over her shoulders, unraveled by her recent actions.

"Really?" She asked him, her tone annoyed.

"It was a joke babe, relax."

Aerith stared at him, then suddenly threw her hands to her face before burying herself back under the blankets.

"Uh, hey?" Zack asked. He awkwardly patted the blanket when he heard sobbing underneath. "Fuck me," he muttered, before pulling the blanket down slightly.

"I can't believe I just did that," Aerith sobbed, her mascara now running down her face. "It's so unlike me! My friends all know me as the conservative type, but I guess I was feeling impulsive! Damn you Zack Fair, why do you have to be so good looking?"

Zack stared at her for a moment before laughing at her question. "I got lucky in the gene pool. Look Aerith, it's not a big deal. I won't tell anyone."

"But I will Zack! My friends, you don't understand. I'll tell them because they'll be jealous, and then they'll accept me, and it's all so stressful! Did you know I was a virgin?"

"Fuck me sideways," Zack muttered to himself, again. "Look Aerith. You sound like you have some shitty friends. You don't have to tell them. If they won't accept you because you won't have sex with some random guy, then screw 'em."

Aerith looked up at him and spread her fingers slightly. She smiled softly, saying, "You know, that's the best answer you've given me in this whole interview."

Zack tapped the side of his brain, grinning. "They say sex stimulates the brain."

"No they don't."

"Okay, so they don't, but I'm trying to make you feel better! You know you're making me late for a meeting?"

"You have a meeting today?"

"Yea. I'm lucky I own the business. I've been late so many times they'd have fired my ass by know if I wasn't their boss."

"Are you always late because of a girl?"

"Not always, but I have been on more than a few occasions," Zack said truthfully.

"So I'm just another notch on the bedpost?" Aerith asked, frowning with disapproval of Zack.

"At least your name is unique enough to remember," Zack offered with a weak smile.

--

"All right Hojo, go ahead," Sephiroth said to his Vice President. He despised Hojo, yes, but Hojo was also the only one Sephiroth could trust with this experiment.

"Stay still," Hojo ordered, just like he always did. A needle for a syringe was in between his clenched teeth.

Sephiroth was laying on a steel lab table, his arms and legs bound by steel clasps. Sephiroth felt vulnerable, but he knew it was necessary. Once the Spartan serum was injected into his body, his muscles became uncontrollable for a moment of time. The restraints were for his, Hojo's and the lab's safety.

Sephiroth grimaced when he felt the needle puncture his skin, but he didn't cry out. He felt the Spartan serum flow through his bloodstream, and he twitched violently, rattling the table.

Hojo took a few steps backwards to be safe, and flinched when the restraints rattled even louder, creating a cacophony of grunts and metal scraping. However nervous Hojo was though, he never left the room, instead keeping a close eye on Sephiroth's vitals and scribbling on his clipboard every few moments.

After a few minutes, it finally stopped. Hojo slowly crept closer back to the lab table, glancing over Sephiroth, seeing his body glisten with sweat.

Sephiroth's eyes shot open, and to no surprise to Hojo, were bloodshot. A terrifying slowly came across Sephiroth's face as he grinned menacingly at Hojo.

"I feel it working."

--

"You are late again Zackary," Reeve Tuesti, Fair Weapons Public Relations Head said as Zack strolled into the conference room, still not fully dressed.

Zack slipped on his suit jacket as he entered the conference room. "Waitin' on you now Reeve. Come on man!" Zack grinned as he slid into the leather chair that sat at the head of the wooden table in the conference room. He clasped his hands together behind his head as he rested his feet on the table. "So what's up?"

Reeve spoke up first as he too sat down after closing the door. "Well sir, we have already finished most of our meeting, but we were discussing the new competition stemming from Crescent Corp. What do you suggest we do?"

"Well," Zack twirled around in his chair, taking a sip of water from the glass sitting on the table in front of him. "We already started creating some science stuff right?"

"Correct," Zack's advisor, Angeal Hewley, said next. "But that is earning us bad press. They think we are merely retaliating for them encroaching on the weapons market."

"Well, isn't that exactly what we're doing?" Zack asked, cocking an eybrow.

"We're trying to put it a little more eloquently," Angeal said.

"Don't. Just say, 'Crescent Corp is being a bitch, so we're being a bitch right back.'"

Angeal rose both his eyebrows at Zack. "Say that?"

"Yea," Zack said, looking at Angeal like he had to heads. "Why wouldn't we?"

"This is why I'm in charge of public relations," Reeve interjected, earning a glare from Zack.

"Do I even need to be at this meeting?" Zack questioned as he was idly texting on his cellphone.

"Really, Zack?" Angeal scolded, gesturing at the phone.

"What?" Zack asked, smiling innocently as he continued to text while looking Angeal straight in the eye. Angeal merely shook his head in response.

"You're lucky I'm getting paid a couple million of year," Angeal muttered under his breath.

"Yea you are," Zack replied, and winked when Angeal looked up at him. "Whatever. Guys, I'm gonna go back to Seventh Heaven, that new club that opened up last week."

"It's two in the afternoon," Reeve pointed out.

Zack rolled his eyes. "When nighttime comes. Numbnut. Right now I'm just going cruisin'. Later old farts."

With that, Zack exited the conference room, leaving Angeal, Reeve, and a few other heads of departments looking baffled.

Angeal looked down at his watch. Zack had been in the room for exactly two minutes and thirty-seven seconds before leaving. At least it wasn't the shortest time he'd been in a meeting for.

--

Sephiroth had made it quite clear that he wanted Zack Fair dead and the information stolen as soon as possible, Cloud knew he was going to have to take his time. Cloud knew this wasn't a job he could afford to fuck up a little and get away with, like the Katana job. He wouldn't be able to leave two witnesses to the death.

Zack Fair was a world renowned business man, and an ex-General, who constantly had attempts on his life. Katana was a mere Turk. Cloud knew the Fair job would have to be handled with care. If he went in guns blazing (not that any Shadow ever did that), he was sure Zack Fair would tear him a new asshole. Cloud didn't know how many prototype weapons Zack kept in his house for security measures, and there was always that secret Sephiroth wanted him to get. That could be a nuclear bomb gun for all Cloud knew.

Cloud knew it would take time. But he was patient. He just hoped Sephiroth was as well.

Cloud spent the first week after picking up the job studying Zack's schedule. Nearly every morning Zack would see a new woman out his door, then drive off his Ferrari at around eight to work. On numerous occasions though Cloud had noticed Zack left at random times of the day, and each of those times, the girls Zack saw off were easily better looking than the normal ones he brought home. Cloud couldn't help but feel a tinge of admiration for the guy. At least he knew how to get women.

Cloud briefly debated about killing Zack at his workplace, but he quickly crossed out that idea. It would be too messy, too much of a struggle, and too many witnesses. It wasn't worth the time or effort if Cloud could easily kill him in a quieter setting.

After a full day of work, Zack would usually come back around seven (with a women on his arm on more than one occasion), and pour drinks. The rest of the night was spent in Zack's room, and Cloud didn't want to know what went on in there.

The schedule was pretty much the same, from Monday through Friday. Cloud decided that the best time to sneak in was when Zack was in his foyer drinking. Alone.

Cloud now had an entry time. Now he just needed a method.

--

**Yup, mainly Cloud this time around, as it will be for a while. Zack is more the comic relief for now, but trust me, he can be just as dark as Cloud :D**

**Review? They do motivate me to update faster :)  
**

**-The Lone Wanderer  
**


	3. Tainted Love

**Well sheesh, that took a while, but I'm finally over my writer's block for this story. You can thank Marilyn Manson and "Tainted Love" for that :D**

**Reviews! **

**SarissaDiablo – Yea, I wanted a mixture of the darkness Cloud had from AC and the coolness from the original. I wanted to take out the emoness :P**

**Oddball167 – Zack's quite dark in this chapter :D**

**Zackfairfan – I'm glad :D**

**eMi to mAo 374**** – Glad you like it!**

**OCV – Here's the assassination attempt on Zack . . . and don't worry, Tifa won't be dragged into Zack's private life (and bed :P)**

**Dragi – His first try is this chapter ;)**

**Setsuko teshiba – Here ya go!**

**Quiet N Cryptic – I hope it stays interesting :D**

**I'm At My All Time Low – Thanks! I'll do my best**

**Floutistvivi – Thanks! **

**Mooglestookmyheart – Hm, not actually sure on whether it's the first one with this plot. Probably not, but I think it's at least the first one starring Zack ;)**

**xXLunarWolfXx – All right awesome, I'm glad the humor doesn't seem really out of place XD**

**Priosonerksc2-303 – Poor Turks XD, but they're no match for an assassin :P Zack is I guess a man whore . . . or maybe he's just confident? XD**

**Thank you everyone else who favorite/alerted this story!**

--

Zack winked at the bodyguard at the front of his mansion as he passed, twirling his keys on his finger. The bodyguard nodded, smirking slightly, and Zack grinned as he slipped inside.

The first thing he did was toss his keys onto the counter before turning to the bar, grabbing a bottle of scotch and an empty glass.

He was in the middle of pouring the soda into the blend when he heard a gun cock behind him. Zack didn't bother freezing, instead continuing to pour his drink as he spoke. "What's the reason this time?"

He heard the shuffle of feet behind him. Good, the person was nervous. And judging by the sound his feet made, it was most likely a man. Or an overweight lady. "_General _Zack Fair," the person spat, emphasizing the 'General'. It was definitely a man. "You're the son of a bitch who murdered my brother."

Zack stopped pouring and set the bottle down slowly, not wanting to alarm the man. He picked up the glass and took a sip, staying as casual as possible. "I don't think I actually murdered your brother. He may have died on one of my campaigns, and I'm sorry, but I guarantee I did not shoot or stab or somehow kill your brother with my hands." He swirled his drink as he waited for a response.

A gun was jammed into Zack's back as the man growled, "Exactly. If you were a little less reckless and stupid, my brother would still be alive."

Zack rolled his eyes. The guy was an idiot. "Check the records dumbass. My campaigns have had the least casualties of any in recent history."

The gun was pressed harder into Zack's lower back. "Really think you should be calling me a dumbass? I'm the one with a gun to you."

Zack shook his head, smirking. "Seriously. How _did _you get past my guards?" Just as the man opened his mouth, Zack kicked backwards, smashing the man's right kneecap. The man yelped and fired his gun, but Zack was already out of the way. He grabbed the man's wrist and squeezed until he heard a crack, and the pistol fell. He caught it before it hit the ground and directed it at the man's face. "And now I'm the one with a gun to you."

The man had a contorted mess of a face that held both pain and anger. The guy was old, probably in his fifties, and looked pitifully up at Zack. Zack couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at the guy, and wasn't able to stop himself before he made his next action.

He pulled into his wallet and yanked out some gil. A lot of gil. He bent down to tuck it into the man's pocket and whispered to him, "Look, man, about your brother. I'm sorry, I really am, but _don't try to fucking kill me_. You _won't_ succeed. Now go out my front door and tell the guard there to take you to the hospital. The gil I gave you should cover the bill and feed you for a month."

Then, standing up and patting the man on the head, he added, "And straighten out your life. Move on, for your own sake." And with that, he turned back to the bar and picked up the cup again, taking a drink as he heard the man scurry away.

--

Cloud pulled the hood up over his blond hair and pulled the black mask over his mouth, so that only his ice blue eyes were visible on his face. He was standing on a cliff face over-looking Edge, wearing skin-tight neoprene black clothing with a silenced submachine gun attached to his back. A silenced pistol hung at his belt.

He felt the quick vibration of his phone ringing, and quickly pulled it out to look at the I.D.; it was "Restricted". Cloud flipped it open and held it up to his ear. "Hello?" he asked.

The cool voice of Sephiroth drifted through the speaker. "Cloud Strife. How are you doing?"

Cloud glanced over his shoulder, an instinct he had when he was talking on the phone. "I can't talk Sephiroth. I'm about to infiltrate Fair Manor."

Cloud grimaced when he heard a soft chuckle on the other end. "'Infiltrate'? Is that what we're calling it? Well, good to hear. I just called to inform you that I will not accept you murdering my employees again."

"I was hired to kill him. I killed him. It's what I do." Cloud hung up without waiting for a response. He stared at his phone for a moment, then, not wanting Sephiroth to call him back, he threw the phone over the cliff and watched as it tumbled down.

Cloud took five steps back before sprinting forward, leaping as he reached the end of the cliff. He angled himself downwards, and once he was positive he was at the right angle, he spread his arms out. Fabric that was attached from his waist to his forearms spread about and caught the air, allowing him to glide.

It was a new product from Cid, and he promised Cloud it would work perfectly. And it did. It kept Cloud moving fast, but not dangerously fast. As Cloud approached Fair Manor from above, his night vision kicked in. It was his talent.

Every Shadow had a talent. It was what made them Shadows; made them able to kill better than regular assassins. Sometimes it was blending into the darkness, becoming virtually invisible. Or maybe it was enhanced speed. For Cloud, it was night vision.

There was only one guard in the back, watching the pool. For some reason there was no guard in the front of the house, and Cloud was suspicious for a moment before remembering what he heard on the radio: A man known for being Zack Fair's bodyguard was seen in the hospital with another man, badly beaten. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was Zack Fair's doing, but, because of his high status, he was untouchable.

And, Cloud guessed the man was trying to kill Zack Fair, and failed. Well, he would succeed where the man failed.

He pulled his arms in when he was above the roof and fell down, rolling when the balls of his feet touched down.

Still silent, save the rustling of the trees in the courtyard. The guard didn't suspect a thing. Now, Cloud just needed an entry point. Hell, he could just crash through the glass ceiling of Zack's office, but that would cause too much noise, unless . . .

Cloud really wished he had his knife with him at the moment; it would make getting through the glass much easier without smashing it. Still, Cloud knew that through the glass would be the easiest way to get inside.

Punching it would make too much noise and possible trigger an alarm, so Cloud instead worked on slowly prying one pane of glass loose. Eventually, it began to wiggle loose, and Cloud knew he had a foothold.

--

"You're fired," Aerith's manager said bluntly to her as she sat in a plush chair in his office. "I can't have you whoring around just to get an interview."

Aerith's face turned bright red. "I wasn't _whoring_ myself out. What I do with my personal life is none of your business." She was shocked that tears haven't welled up in her eyes yet. When she first heard the 'you're fired', she expected to have a mental breakdown. But, it just wasn't coming.

"Imagine what the public would say if they found out about this," her manager said, his voice rising slightly.

Aerith stood up, ready to leave. She was one of the top journalists; she would have no problem with finding another job as long as she now wasn't blacklisted. "Who told you, anyway?"

"Zack Fair himself."

Anger flowed through Aerith's head as she exited the office, continuing straight down the stairs, not even bothering to collect her personal belongings. She reached into her purse to get her cell phone, but instead pulled out a business card that held Zack's business information.

On the back, in chicken scratch, was scrawled, "_So, I need myself a good assistant. Call me up, it's the least I could do for getting you fired :)"_

Aerith pulled out her phone, already dialing the number before she even looked at her keypad. Soon enough, she was going to get a new job, and Zack Fair was going to get a piece of her mind.

--

Cloud dropped into the office silently, pulling out his pistol and aiming at the door, waiting to see if anyone would come in. When no one did, he holstered the pistol and crept over to the computer. He rummaged through the drawers, looking for a flash drive. He found one quickly enough, and inserted it into the computer before searching for the information.

He looked up everything, and there was no information anywhere. 'Immortality', 'Invincible', 'Life forever', nothing brought up what he was looking for.

"Shit," Cloud muttered. There was no file on the secret to immortality. The computer was worthless.

"Ya know, you _really _should make sure to lock doors when you're breaking into someone's personal data," a voice called out, and Cloud bit his tongue as he looked up. Not locking the door was such an amateur mistake.

It was Zack Fair, and a pistol was hanging loosely from his hand, directed at his head. Cloud's hand shot for his pistol, but Zack fired a warning shot that made the wall explode next to Cloud's head. "Uh uh uh," Zack chastised. "Sit," he ordered, pointing the gun towards the office chair. Cloud obliged, glaring at Zack.

"Now, what do we have here? A Shadow, I take it. But why such an amateur mistake? Surely a Shadow would be mo-," his voice was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing. "Gimme a sec," Zack said, raising a finger at Cloud before turning around and pulling out his phone.

"Hello? Oh hey Ms. Gainsborough . . . yea sorry about that . . . you can be my assistant . . . you'll get paid twice as much as you did as a journalist, and you'll have your own living quarters . . . no just call the number below my own, that's Angeal. Tell him you need him to help you move to my manor . . . yup . . . all righty sounds awesome. Later!"

Cloud was utterly dumbfounded. Did the guy really just answer the phone and turn his back to the number one assassin in the world? Well, of course Zack didn't know Cloud was the number one assassin in the world, and by the time Cloud was out of shock Zack had just hung the phone up and began to tuck it into his pocket. If he was going to strike, it was now or never.

Cloud lunged at Zack, hands outstretched, ready to snap the brunette's neck. He saw a blur and felt an immense pain in his ribcage.

_How did he move that fast? _Cloud asked himself as he tumbled to the ground. Zack had just spun around, and without looking, managed to kick Cloud in the ribs and send him flying.

Cloud managed to turn his fall into a roll and ended up back on his feet, but Zack already had the pistol trained back on his head. "Who sent you?" he asked, any semblance of joking from before gone.

"I'm not at the liberty to tell you," Cloud said, smirking beneath his mask.

Zack fired the pistol, again just a warning shot. If Cloud wasn't wearing a hood it would've grazed his blond spikes. He then threw the pistol on the ground before sitting on the chair Cloud was sitting in moments before.

"It was Sephiroth wasn't it?" Zack asked, though the way he said it made it a fact. "Oh, go ahead and try and take that pistol and shoot me, I guarantee you won't be able to be that fast."

"It was Sephiroth," Cloud echoed, nodding.

Zack let out a short laugh, "That's fucking great. Bet he wants the immortality also?" Cloud nodded again. "How much he paying you?"

"Enough," was all Cloud replied with.

"Well, I could pay you double to go ahead and kill Sephiroth for me, but I'm not. Instead, you are going to help me break into Crescent Corp. and help steal something he created, the 'Spartan Serum'. 'Why?' you ask? Because if you don't, I'll kill you now."

"What's the Spartan Serum?" It was the best answer Zack was going to get.

Zack spun around in his chair, but Cloud didn't make a move at him. "It's like mako, but more concentrated, and dangerous. He wants to market it to the military to make super soldiers. I have a feeling he has an ulterior motive though, and me, being the white knight that I am, wants to save the world. Kapeesh?"

Cloud stood up, and Zack watched him, rubbing his thumb around his hand. Cloud pulled back his hood to reveal his blond spikes, and yanked down his mask, revealing a smirk playing across his lips. "You're fucking crazy. Why don't you send it your armed guard to do it?"

Zack feigned a frown, "Because that's boring."

--

**Not as much Sephiroth, but he'll pop up next chapter. **

**So! Cloud and Zack are no supposedly working together . . . but will their working relationship work or will it be full of tension?**

**And what of Aerith? Find out next time! :P**

**-The Lone Wanderer**


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